FIFA, the governing body of the World Cup, awarded the rights to the 2026 tournament to FOX and Telemundo in the United States without holding a bidding process, effectively shutting out ESPN from having a chance to broadcast the tournament.
ESPN released a statement saying, “We were not invited to be involved in this process. Considering the high quality presentation that ESPN demonstrated and the exposure we brought to FIFA events through all our platforms, it was surprising and disappointing to learn of this when the press release was issued.”